MICHAEL ST. JACQUES

Photography Spencer Heyfron

WHO MICHAEL ST. JACQUES, OFM / 55 / Franciscan brother, student

WHY I’M FLYINGI just finished a year of training with the Franciscans, and we couldn’t really leave the property. I got sprung yesterday, so now I’m off to Pennsylvania to go camping with my sister and godson.

WHAT I’M WEARINGIt’s called a habit. We have the choice to wear it, and a lot of us make a real effort to because it acts as a magnet. People tell me things they’ve never told anyone. Complete strangers will confess something they did thirty years ago and ask if God can forgive them.

WHEN I’M FINISHED STUDYING I’m going to continue working with at-risk teens, which is what I was doing before I joined the Franciscans. I’m also hoping to get involved with a program in Chicago that helps homeless teens find resources to change their situation.